The Acinetobacter baumannii group: a systemic review

BACKGROUND: The Acinetobacter baumannii group, including Acinetobacter baumannii, Acinetobacter genomospecies 3 and 13TU, is phenotypically indistinguishable and uniformly identified as Acinetobacter baumannii by laboratories of clinical microbiology. This review aimed to demonstrate the differences among them. METHODS: Literatures associated with the Acinetobacter baumannii group were identified and selected from PubMed databases and relevant journals. RESULTS: Acinetobacter genospecies 3 and 13TU possess a certain proportion in clinical isolates. There were considerable differences in epidemiologic features, clinical manifestations, antimicrobial resistances and therapeutic options among the Acinetobacter baumannii group. Compared with Acinetobacter genomospecies 3 and 13TU, Acinetobacter baumannii with a higher resistance to antimicrobial agents are easier to be treated inappropriately, and present a worse outcome in patients. CONCLUSION: The Acinetobacter baumannii group comprises three distinct clinical entities, and their clinical value are not equal.